Your Journey to Better Health, One Day at a Time

self-esteem

I’m going to guess we’ve all seen this or heard this somewhere before:

I think I’m starting to realize that the path to any goal, success or otherwise, is NEVER a straight line. For me, that goal is body acceptance and my path has been all over the map. Continue reading →

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I was walking to the store on a Friday afternoon, not really paying attention to the people around me.

“You in the purple shirt! Nice butt!”

That caught my attention. I was wearing a purple shirt. I turned towards the voice, expecting some guy to be standing there and was shocked to see a boy. A boy that couldn’t have been more than 12 maybe 13 or 14 if we’re pushing it. He was surrounded by 3 or 4 of his friends and they were all snickering as he gave me a thumbs up and then raced off to do something else.

I didn’t think much of it because sadly, this isn’t the first time that someone, usually a male, has felt the need to audibly comment on some part of my body. But as I walked on I started thinking, “Why is a boy that young talking about my butt?”

Probably a million reasons. His friends were egging him on, he sees it in the media all the time, he’s watched other boys/men do it in real life, he really like butts, he has no filter from his brain to his mouth… The list could go on and on. And it’s a sad list. It’s sad that this is what both women and men have been reduced to.

Body parts.

Think about it. Everything is aimed at certain aspects of a person but never the whole person. Magazines tout the latest workout for sexy abs or the newest diet for lean thighs or what you need to do to get bulging biceps. We look at celebrities and covet certain body parts. I wish I had Jennifer Lopez’s butt or Taylor Swifts abs or Heidi Klum’s legs. If I was as ripped as Chris Evans or Ryan Reynolds, all the ladies would want me.

We, me included, always pick and nag at our “worst” attributes. I want my stomach to be flatter. Everything I do needs to be working towards getting a flatter stomach. We never take the time to look at a body as a whole machine. Something that works together with all the parts to be one awesome mechanism. It’s always about the one part that doesn’t work or look the way we want it to.

Enough.

I am not my butt. I am not my abs. I am not my arms, thighs, or chin. I am Katie, a human person that is so much more than any one part of me. And so are you. Everyone is more than just a body part and all of us need to start seeing that. To look at people as a whole. To drop the nitpicking over our one flaw.

That woman walking down the street is not a giant pair of legs.

That man sitting next to you isn’t a huge abdominal.

They are whole humans and they deserve to be treated that way. So start by treating your own body as a whole being and then spread that idea to the other people you meet. Maybe, we can start making a difference.

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We have all probably heard at some point in our life that we should think positively, especially about ourselves. Browse around on Pinterest and you will see thousands of pins that have sayings like “BeYOUtiful” and “You are your harshest critic” and “Hey, stop being mean to yourself”. Ok, maybe not the last one but you get the idea.

The thing is we know we should be kind to ourselves, we just have a really hard time doing it. It’s easy to critique our own body’s, habits, and personalities. We’re used to being kind to others but don’t really know what to do when it comes to us.

That’s why self-affirmations were made.

Ok, that’s also probably not true but someone along the way that in order to be kinder to ourselves we should actually talk positively to ourselves. Like actually out loud say nice things about us. Stand in front of the mirror in the bathroom and say things like, “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!” By doing this every day, you’ll learn to love yourself and be kinder to your body. Those of you rolling your eyes at me right now, don’t worry I’m with you.

Or, at least, I was.

Self-affirmations sounded like a load of self-help hogwash. Something that sounds good on paper and in books but doesn’t really work. How is standing in front of the mirror every day (something I already don’t like doing) and talking out loud like a lunatic going to really help me like myself more? But I also thought what have I got to lose? If it doesn’t work no skin off my nose. It’s not like I had to make these affirmations out loud in front of a crowd so I started talking nice to myself.

I didn’t choose hokey phrases that meant nothing to me, but rather I would look at myself and make a conscious effort to say something I truly liked about my body/life/personality.

“Good morning Katie, your eyes look really green and bright today. Lots of people would really like to have your green eyes.”

“Hey there Kate, you just squatted more weight than you have before and I can tell your legs are stronger than ever. Nice work!”

“That dinner you made from scratch last night really hit the spot and it’s awesome that you can come up with flavor combinations like that all on your own now. Keep up the good work!”

Sure, I felt silly at first but then a funny thing started happening. I started to believe my affirmations. I was getting stronger, my recipes were coming to me easier, there are certain features of my face and body that are absolutely beautiful. And these feelings started to flow into other parts of my life. I felt more confident and believed I could do anything I wanted. I started complimenting other people because I knew just like me they were awesome.

Moral of the story? Sometimes things that sound silly and hokey can really help you out. If you’ve never tried self-affirmations, give it a go. Will it feel awkward and weird? You bet. Especially if your husband knocks on the bathroom door and asks if you’re talking to one of the cats and you tell him no, just yourself…. but as time goes on it will fell less and less weird and more natural. It will start to show that you think highly of yourself and you should always think highly of yourself.

Because you’re good enough, you’re smart enough, and doggone it, people like you!

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I’m going to have you do a little homework before you read this post. Oh stop moaning, it’s not that hard.

I want you to listen to this song:

Did you listen? Good. I’m trusting that you did.

I have listened to Superchick for years and in fact, I have heard this song a good 50 times before. But as I was out running about the other day, this song came on and it kind of hit me in a new light.

Rock what you got.

I have spent a lot of time trying to change things about me so that I can “rock it”. I focus on what needs to be fixed or adjusted to get to a point where I feel like I am worthy of being awesome.

That’s not cool.

I have been given everything that I need to rock. There are so many awesome things about me that no one else has, and I’m doing myself a disservice if I don’t choose to rock what I’ve got.

I’m not saying that I don’t want to improve myself or do things to meet new goals. It’s ok to rock what you have right at this moment while working to achieve other things. Be proud of YOU every single second of the day. That pride and encouragement, even if it just comes from you alone, can help push you forward.

So how about it? I’m making a pledge to start rocking everything I got.

My ability to push myself at the end of a long run? Rocking it.

My willingness to try a new or difficult yoga pose even if I faceplant? Rocking it.

My desire to help serve others in the best way I know how? Rocking it.

My hope to accomplish new goals and dreams? Rocking it.

You don’t have to wait until you think you have what it takes to rock it. Start now, this very second. You have everything you need in this moment. Even if you don’t feel that way, act like you do. I bet pretty soon you won’t have to be faking it.